REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 



WILLIAM P. BROOKS, DIRECTOU. 



The work of the Hatch Experiment Station during the 

 past year has progressed under favorable conditions. The 

 only changes in the station staff have been a few affecting 

 minor positions, which arc elsewhere referred to. There has 

 accordingly been no interruption in the lines of investigation 

 which have been in progress. 



Besides the monthly meteorological bulletins, during the 

 past year four other bulletins have been issued : Nos. 103 

 and 104 on the subject of fertilizers and the results of 

 analyses thereof; No. 105 on tomatoes under glass and 

 methods of pruning tomatoes ; and No. 106 on condimental 

 stock and poultry foods. 



The work of the section of our division of chemistry bav- 

 ins: to do with fertilizers shows that the conditions of the 

 fertilizer trade in the State are substantially the same as 

 during recent years. The manufacturers and dealers still 

 offer an enormous number of different brands of so-called 

 complete and special fertilizers in the markets. The number 

 of samples analyzed during the past year is 511, represent- 

 ins: 313 distinct brands. There can be no doubt that the 

 business of manufacturing and selling fertilizers might easily 

 be greatly simplified ; that a great reduction in the number 

 of brands offered, without loss in any direction, is possible; 

 and that the result of such simplification and reduction in 

 the number of brands would be that fertilizers sufficiently 

 varied for every purpose could be furnished to the farmers 

 at lower prices than those at present prevailing. 



The fertilizer section of our division of chemistry has 

 during the past year analyzed the usual number of samples 



